Monday, August 31, 2009

I love Chinese food. It has been really hard to find good quality frozen Chinese food. I had the opportunity to try Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken. It is a frozen stir fry meal for two. It was really easy to make. It would be perfect for a night that you want something delicious but don’t feel like making something complicated and time consuming. It only takes 14 minutes to cook! I thought the Orange Chicken was restaurant quality. It didn’t have that frozen taste that a lot of frozen foods have. It would be perfect for a dinner party as well. This meal would totally pass for a “home cooked meal that you slaved for hours making” meal.

The chicken it’s self was so tasty. The sauce is the perfect contrast of sweet and hot. The vegetables were crisp and fresh. I really liked the baby corn and the broccoli. The jasmine rice was tender. It is a very appealing dish and has beautiful colors.

When you eat something you use more than one of your senses. First you smell the food. My mouth was watering while it was cooking because it smelled so good. Next you see the food. Most people would agree that a meal presentation has a lot to do with the attitude people have when they go to eat it. This is especially true with children. I remember when I was little my dad made this noodle dish that looked absolutely disgusting so I refused to eat it. Now I am not saying that if it doesn’t look good it doesn’t taste good but it is one of the things that people naturally look for.

The taste is definitely the most important thing of course. I loved the Orange Chicken. It was the best frozen Chinese food I have ever tasted. There are other varieties of Wanchai Ferry meals to try. They cost around $8.00 that is so much cheaper than getting dinner for two from a Chinese restaurant.

It was so good that I had a hard time believing that it was a frozen meal. If I wouldn’t of made it myself, I would have been checking the trash for the Chinese take-out containers.

You can print a coupon for $1.50 off of one Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entrée here http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qh4vbdf41589184&bt=vg&o=57004%20&ci=1&c=GM&p=cEgynWkJ

Thank you to Wanchai Ferry and My Blog Spark for the opportunity to try the Orange Chicken.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

I love TJ Maxx. My family has been shopping at TJ Maxx for as long as I can remember. I would go with my mom when I was younger and I would sit in the chairs by the door when I got bored or when she was checking out. I am definitely a bargain shopper and I love a great deal. It is so much fun to see how much stuff you can get for a set amount of money.

I am always amazed at the prices of quality brand names that they sell at TJ Maxx. I think that some people don’t shop there because they think that the clothes are defective. That is not the case at all. It isn’t some knock off brand. It’s just that they might have had a surplus so they passed on the deals to us. One of my favorite past deals was a Ralph Lauren tank top. It was originally 40 dollars and I got it for 5 dollars. I have bought a lot of my son’s clothes from TJ Maxx. They have most of the normal brands of kid’s clothes that big department stores have just at a much better price. TJ Maxx also has a nice little toy selection too. Some of Noah’s favorites came from TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

TJ Maxx isn’t just clothes. They also have house wares and décor items. TJ Maxx carries bedding, picture frames, fragrances, even hair dryers and flat irons! The selection changes frequently. You never know what kind of treasures you will find each time you visit TJ Maxx. With it being Back to School time, TJ Maxx and Marshalls is a smart place to shop for your kid’s new clothes. You really get more bang for your buck. Your kid’s can look great without it emptying your pocket book.

I went shopping today at TJ Maxx as part of the Back to School Event. They were having a store wide Clearance sale. There were lots of great deals. This Back to School Event commemorates 25 years of TJ Maxx working with Save the Children. Save the Children is a wonderful charity that helps children in the US and all over the world. Keep a look out for the 99 cent reusable bags that they have at TJ Maxx. For every reusable bag they sell TJ Maxx will donate an article of clothing for a child in need. With just 99 cents you can help clothe a child which no doubt is a wonderful much needed gift.

My pajama pants are really cute they look really comfortable too. I didn’t realize that they were Nautica until I got home. I paid $12.99 for them they were originally 34 dollars.

I really love my new box grater. I have a thing about cheese graters. I have one that I have had for as long as I can remember and it is really hard to use. Now I have one I don’t have to hold while grating. It has a little Tupperware bowl on the bottom that you can use to catch the cheese. No more escaping little pieces of cheese. You can put the lid on the bowl when you are done and store the cheese and it stays fresh. Freshly shredded cheese is delicious but as you know it has a really short shelf life. I paid $9.99 and it was originally 20 dollars.

As some of you may know Noah’s Birthday is next Sunday so I thought I would take the opportunity to get him another present. I got him a really cool John Deere Tractor toy. When you wave your hand over the cab it moves forward. When it bumps in to something it moves on its own backwards. I think that is really cool because my son tends to crash cars, trucks, and trains in to walls. My plan for the tractor to be a Birthday present was a short lived one. He saw it in the cart and I told him he could hold it but it was a birthday present. Yeah didn’t happen. When we got home I went ahead and let him have it. It’s open and he has been playing with it since we got home. I paid $7.99 and it was originally 12 dollars.

The last thing I got was gourmet COFFEE. TJ Maxx sells gourmet food items. They carry different things than the grocery stores. The stuff you would find in a gourmet food store for a fraction of the cost. I got some Hazelnut coffee. It smells so good. As soon as I put it in the car and got in I could smell the coffee.

I am very happy with my purchases. I got some really cute Nautica pajama pants, a big box cheese grater, a John Deere Tractor toy for Noah and a bag of gourmet coffee all for 38 dollars.

Shopping at TJ Maxx has always been an important part of my life. I always save a bundle by shopping when I shop there. I hope you all go and check out the treasures that they sell at TJ Maxx. Don’t forget to pick up a reusable bag as well.

Thank you TJ Maxx for letting me be a part of the Back to School Event!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

When I was pregnant with my son I was reading a parenting magazine. I saw an ad for Cloud B baby products and instantly fell in love with them. I immediately went to the website and looked at how adorable they are. It was something; I wanted my son to have. Cloud B is a company that makes products to help children sleep easier and better. Cloud B the baby sleep specialist, was established by two new mothers with the philosophy that every baby deserves a sound night’s sleep for healthy development. Cloud B’s products are developed in consultation with an advisory board of pediatricians and sleep specialists with a single focus: to achieve a better, safer sleep for baby. They have an array of items from the Sleep sheep family to Lullabags. Cloud B has won many awards for their products.

When my son was 2 months old I bought him the sleep sheep on the go. It is a stuffed sheep with a sound machine in it. It helped lull my son to sleep every night. We got it on vacation when we were in Virginia Beach. It not only helped him get to sleep but it helped me sleep as well- which is always important as new mom.

I wanted Noah to have the Twilight Turtle under the Christmas tree for his first Christmas. This time I ordered it on their website. It‘s so cool. The twilight turtle is your own personal planetarium in your child’s room. My son loves the stars. He will sit there and say let’s count the stars. He will also sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. On a few occasions, when our power has gone out during a storm, Twilight turtle has been my son’s comforting night light.

I had the opportunity to try the Lavender Lab. It is a stuffed dog that is filled with lavender. When I opened the box, my son was very curious to see what was inside. I pulled out the Lavender Lab and Noah started reaching for it saying, “I want my puppy.” I was interested in its soothing lavender scent. I handed it to Noah and he sniffed it and said “mmm smells good.” The lab is cuddly soft and just the right size for a child to hug. Noah noticed that the Lavender Lab has a purple nose and purple ears. The idea behind the Lavender Lab is you place it on your child’s pillow (or your own) and when it is bed time you remove it and the scent of lavender helps you fall asleep.

There is a really cute story about the Lavender Lab that comes with it. It has really helped my son fall asleep faster. He had been staying up late since I moved him to a toddler bed. He loves to carry around his Lavender Lab with him around the house. He named it Puppy. He will hide his Puppy and say where is puppy? There she is. I admit sometimes after a long day, I spend a few moments cuddling with Lavender Lab.

Sleep Sheep and Twilight Turtle have been treasured “friends” of Noah for nearly three years and still in excellent condition. I am sure Puppy will be around for years to come.

When someone asks me what is something every new mother should have? I always mention Cloud B. I talk about all of the wonderful products they make and how much my family love s them. I also will recommend them as a baby shower or new baby gift. I whole heartedly believe in Cloud B and it is a must have for any parent of a young child.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

There is a really cool company called Solavie Skin and Hair Systems that makes different beauty products. One of the products they make is a hair and body wash. This isn’t the same shampoo that you find at your local store where you are bombarded by a whole aisle of same types of shampoo with a different name the bottle. How is it different you ask? It is formulated by CLIMATE.

It is the perfect size for when you are traveling. It is small enough that it is safe for airplane travel in your carry-on. It also snaps together in a patented yin yang system. It is compact so it takes up little room in your suitcase. I hate dragging big bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on a trip with me especially with the weight restrictions every ounce and inch counts in my suitcase. These products are ideal for traveling. Have you ever gone on vacation somewhere and the climate is completely different than where you live? I have.

When the climate changes sometimes your beauty products aren’t working the same as they did at home. The last thing you want to worry about on your vacation is frizzy and unmanageable hair and your face products that just aren’t doing the job.

Solavie Skin and Hair Systems is a unique line of beauty products. Solavie is Earth’s first Eco-Global Skin and Hair care system. The different Enviro-types of products are Plains, Desert, Shore, Mountains, Urban, and Tropics. Each of the Enviro-types have a specially formulated face wash, Face Nourish, Body Nourish, Hair and Body Wash and last but not least Hair Nourish and style. In the Tropics products for example, each contains a hand-picked selection of phyto-nutrients from hardy plants native to tropical ecosystems. These ingredients help plants survive and thrive in their place of origin, and in these formulas, offer similar protection and nourishment for skin and hair.

I had the opportunity to try the Desert Enviro-Type Duo Pack which is the Desert Hair/Body Wash and Desert Hair Nourish & Style. I loved the design of the bottles. It was pretty cool the way that they snap together. I eagerly tried out both the Desert Hair/Body Wash and the Desert Hair Nourish & Style.

I thought that it smelled really good. I noticed that there wasn’t as much lather as I am used to but that is no big deal. I think extra lather dries out hair if I remember correctly. Since these products are formulated for adding moisture that would totally make sense. It rinsed out of my hair very easily. I didn’t have to spend a lot of time or water trying to get all of the hair wash out.

Then I tried the Hair Nourish & Style. It is a combination conditioner and hair gel. I thought that was an interesting combination. I decided to use it as a conditioner so I rinsed it out. My hair felt so silky when I was washing it out. After my hair dried it felt very moisturized and soft. My hair looked great and very manageable.

This is definitely a great product. Not only do you save money by not having to buy separate bottles of Shampoo, Body Wash, Conditioner and Styling Gel. It is also great for the environment and the world. What could be better?

Thank you to Solavie for the opportunity to try the Desert Duo Pack.

I have one Tropics Duo pack to give away to one of my lovely readers.
Mandatory Entry: Go to the Solavie website and Check out the different enviro-types and tell me which one you want to try and why?

Please remember to include your Email address in your comment or have it accessible on your blog.

You must do the mandatory entry for the bonus entries to count

Bonus Entries

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Friday, August 21, 2009

I LOVE candy. I love the sugary goodness. One of my favorite types of candy is Taffy. Not the taffy you buy in the store but the freshly made kind. I have traveled three hours before to buy taffy. Any time I go to the Ocean I get fresh made Salt water taffy. I remember when I was a small child. We went to Gatlinburg Tennessee. I watched in amazement while they made taffy in one of the local candy shops. I tried to make taffy once. It didn’t come out right. I remember it was a gooey mess. I guess the trick is the Taffy pulling machine. I have fond memories of taffy in my childhood. I know there are a lot of taffy lovers out there like me. I know first hand how hard it is to find good quality, great tasting taffy. Look no further the mystery is SOLVED!

I had the opportunity to try some cinnamon taffy and Cinnamon roll taffy from Taffy Tree. My son and I first tried the Cinnamon Roll Taffy. We both love it. It tasted like I was actually eating a cinnamon roll. Noah said “It’s Yummy” and I definitely agreed. Then we tried the Cinnamon. We both thought the Cinnamon was good as well. I personally think that the cinnamon wasn’t as hot as what I am used to. Noah loved the Taffy so much that he kept asking me for more . He was chasing me around the house so I would give him some more taffy. I hid in the bathroom and he started knocking on the door saying Mommy Mommy more treats more candy. He definitely got his mommy’s love of candy.

Taffy Tree is an awesome website that sells many flavors of taffy. They have all the usual suspects and some of their own creations. This is a taffy lover’s dream store. They have over 80 flavors. All of the flavors have humorous descriptions. They sell mixes that have themed flavors or you can create your own mix. I think that is pure genius! I can’t tell you how many times I have picked out my favorites from a mix and then never ate the flavors I didn’t care for. One of the mixes is called So much spice oh so nice. The flavors of taffy are Cinnamon, Citrus Spice, Gingerbread, Black licorice swirl, Peppermint, Pumpkin Pie, and Spearmint. If you just want to get your favorite flavor you can order it that way too.

All of the taffy made by Taffy Tree is Gluten Free, Nut Free, Peanut and Tree Nut Free and is made with certified Kosher Dairy. All Items are also manufactured in a Gluten and Nut Free factory. So this is a treat that everyone can enjoy. That includes those with allergies and Celiac Disease. There are also 9 Sugar Free taffy flavors. Even Diabetics can indulge in this delish treat.

I have a couple coupon codes for you guys. Who doesn’t love a great coupon?

The first one is buy two pounds of taffy, receive one pound free. Add 3 flavors to
the cart and add Coupon Code: ENJOY

The Second one is FREE shipping on orders over $25 Code: SHIPME

You add the coupon code in the shopping cart.

Every order receives ¼ of a pound of taffy and a flavor chart. The taffy is a mix that is selected by Taffy Tree.

Thank you to Taffy Tree for giving me the chance to review their taffy.

I have a ½ a pound of taffy of the winner’s choice of flavor or mix to give away to one lucky person.

Here are the rules.

Mandatory Entry: Go to Taffy Tree's website and check out all the delicious looking flavors and tell me what your favorite is

Remember that you must do the mandatory entry for your extra entries to count.

Please remember to leave your email address in your comment or make it accessible on you blog profile.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN US ONLY.

Extra Entries: Each of the following is worth one entry.

Sign up for the Taffy Tree http://www.taffytree.com newsletter and receive coupons every other week. It is at the bottom left corner.

Become a member of the Taffy Tree's Facebook page where they hold monthly taffy giveaways.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

August 20,2009
Today marks the one year anniversary of Tommy’s passing. I thought I would write a post about my thoughts and reflections of Tommy’s life.

Here is a video that Rene aka Tommys Mommy made about Tommy’s life.

When I first started talking to Rene I was captivated by Tommy. He was so adorable and so strong. I learned about Tommy’s health problems and I learned about Congenital Heart Defects. I didn’t even know it existed until I started talking to Rene. I instantly fell in love with Tommy. His smile was one of those that could make your heart melt. I felt a bond with Rene and Tommy from day one. It could have been that Tommy was only a couple weeks younger than Noah but I think it was something more. I honestly think that Tommy was put on this Earth to inspire and educate. He touched so many lives and now through his story and spirit will touch many more. Tommy’s memory will live on forever.

Tommy was special not because he was medically fragile but because he had a purpose and was so determined to survive. I think that people spend their whole lives doing the good things that Tommy did in his 23 months on this Earth. Tommy was a happy little boy and loved to flirt with the nurses. He was a celebrity to them. He had such bright eyes and a radiant smile. I carefully followed every moment of Tommy’s life from the time that he was 10 months old. I laughed at the silly videos that Rene posted. I smiled when he would do something sweet or anytime I saw his little face. I would cry tears of joy when he made progress. I cried those tears of joy when I saw the video of him saying Mama, when he got his trach out and when he attempted to eat the blue water.

Rene was and still is great about answering my questions about Tommy and the health issues he had. She taught me so much. Sometimes I felt like I was asking her a really stupid question. She would always answer and explain everything to me. I am by no means a doctor.

One day when Tommy was in the hospital I got an idea to make him a Get Well poster. I wanted something big and bold that he could study and enjoy looking at. I made him a Thomas the train. Still to this day, I have no clue how I was able to do that. See, since I am left handed I am naturally a horrible cutter. I did it free handed. I didn’t use any stencils or trace anything. I was really proud of it. It turned out really awesome. A Thomas for a Thomas Rene said to me shortly after I sent it to her. I would have done anything for him. Just to see him smile.
Tommy’s life was full of ups and downs. There were Good days and bad days. I know that Rene would never trade them away and that she keeps them all close to her in her heart.

I remember a year ago when I found out Tommy was gone. I remember that I was sitting on my bed on the computer and there was an urgent update on his Care page. I was just washed with worry. She hardly ever updated marked urgent. As soon as I saw the email I logged in to his care page and read the news. I just sat there for a moment reading the words. It took a minute to process and then I just felt a flood of tears. I was bawling so hard. I hadn’t cried that hard in a long time. I didn’t think I was ever going to stop. I think I cried until I had no more tears. I woke up all kinds of people. I went in to Noah’s room just to love on him. I needed my little boy. I also woke up my mom and told her what happened. Then I texted a friend of mine that knows Rene and Tommy and she called me and I told her about what happened. I am not sure how she understood anything I said because I was crying so hard. That was a very sad very painful next few days.

It felt like some horrible nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. You know when you are dreaming and you aren’t sure if you are. Then something out of place happens that you know couldn’t possibly happen? I was waiting for that moment. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to hear that Tommy was ok. But sadly it was not a dream and he was gone. I spent those few days looking back at Rene’s blog reading thru the posts of his short life. She documented almost everything. I couldn’t look in to his eyes without crying. I was wishing that it wasn’t true. I really miss Tommy. He was a great little boy.

When I went to visit Rene as I mentioned before we went to Tommy’s grave. It was so emotional and real to me. I hadn’t been so it hit me like a ton of bricks. I just stared at the place where he is buried. I know that the part of Tommy that we all love isn’t in the ground. That part of Tommy is in Heaven. He is dancing and singing and laughing with a perfect heart and no scars or signs of a trach.

I am raising awareness for Congenital Heart Defects any way I can. I am helping Rene get Tommy’s story out there. I am helping educate people about CHD. I created a memorial page on Facebook for Tommy. Today is Bubbles for Tommy and I will be out there with my son blowing bubbles for him. Anytime I see bubbles I think of Tommy. I believe that the bubbles are floating to Heaven for him to play with.
I will have a wonderfully exciting post coming up soon so stay tuned.

I love my son with every fiber of my being but he has turned in to swiper when it comes to wipes. He will take the wipes from the box and mess up their perfect little factory pressed and folded sheets. Then turn them in to crinkled waded up little balls. Occasionally he rips them up. It drives me bananas. I know I can still use the wipes if I catch it close to the attack. I also know I can just re wet them if they dry out. BUT it is such a pain. I tried to tell him not to do it. That didn’t work. It’s not like he doesn't have any toys. Trust me he has a ton of them. I have been putting the box of wipes on the shelf in the closet out of his reach. Sometimes I just forget! I’m human right? I can forget to put the wipes up.

Now that he is in a toddler bed he has free reign of his room. His room is baby proofed. It just irks me. It’s not the container he wants to play with it is the wipes. He likes to clean his trains and trucks with them. I will give him a couple to use sometimes. Hey it could be worse.... He could have done what I did when I was about his age.

I was two or three years old and I was playing with my best friend at the time. We were in her room. I am assuming we snuck away some how. Then, I had an idea. Well it wasn’t really an idea per say but just something that looked fun. There it was in all its glory a big white container of Johnson’s Baby Powder. It was calling out to me saying play with me, smell me, come on it will be fun. How could I resist? How could anyone resist? So I got it down from the changing table assuming that is where it was. I picked it up and started squeezing and shaking it. I am sure I was laughing so hard. We (really I) left not a speck of baby powder in the bottle. The whole room was painted white in baby powder. My best friend and I were completely covered head to toe in it. It was in our hair it was EVERYWHERE! It was snowing baby powder. I have a picture of it somewhere. Our moms took pictures and talked about it for years. I am surprised we didn’t end up with breathing problems after inhaling all the baby powder in the air. This is why the baby powder I have is up high in the linen closet so Noah doesn’t follow in my footsteps.

I had the opportunity to try out some different Binaca products. The products I tried are Binaca Fastblast and Binaca Breath Freshener Aerosol Spray. Binaca is made by Dr. Fresh and it is a breath freshening spray that has been around for 75 years. However they reinvented the products.These are not the same products you remember. They aren’t the old drops where you had to shake them out on your tongue to handily counteract stale or bad breath. They don’t have a medicine taste. They work instantly. They are small so they fit in your purse or your pocket so you never miss an opportunity to steal a kiss with the one you love. They are amazing quality from a name that you trust. Not only is it a great product, it also has great value. It has more sprays per bottle than products from Listerine.

First there is the Binaca Fastblast which is a small non-aerosol pump bottle. It easily fits in a purse or a pocket. It comes in Peppermint and the brand new Cinnamint. Every bottle of the Fastblast has 300 spritzes. It costs $2.49 which is excellent value! It also comes in mini size which contains 150 spritzes and costs $1.00. For those who like to have a back up. You can get the twin Binaca Fast Blast pack which contains 600 spritzes total for $3.49.

The second is the Bianca Aerosol Breath Freshener that comes in Spearmint or Peppermint for unmatched cooling and freshening your breath. It comes in a svelte, lipstick style package. My son took the unopened package the day I received it off the bar in my kitchen and thought it was a battery for his fire truck. He even attempted to put it on the bottom of his fire truck. It contains 150 sprays per spray bottle. The price of the aerosol breath freshener is $1.99. It comes in a triple pack as well. Think you could share it with the whole family for $3.59.

You could put Bianca in Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, in care packages and even send it along with your college student when they go back to school. I can’t believe how inexpensive these products are! You can have great smelling fresh breath with out spending tons of money.

Bianca is available at Walgreens, most major food, drug and mass market retailers nationwide.

My favorite was definitely the Cinnamint. It tasted great. It made my breath smell fresh and took any bad tastes out of my mouth. It defiantly did the job. All of the flavors taste so good. I was a little worried that it would have tasted like medicine but it didn’t. I thought that I would put it to the Ultimate test.
On Sunday, My mom, Noah and I went to the mall for a while. On the way home I wanted White Castle. I only eat White Castle like once or twice a year. My mom hates the smell of White Castle. She hates it so much that the windows in the car were down and she was plugging her nose. I ended up eating it outside so she wouldn’t have to smell it anymore. I thought I would try out my Binaca on something with a really strong bad odor. I squirted the Cinnamint in my mouth twice and then forced my mom to smell my breath. Instantly the lingering taste of White Castles had disappeared and so had the smell. It didn’t even mask the smell it was completely gone. It is like it vanished because it didn’t return later. It didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth either like other products do.You know when you go an take a drink and it tastes horrible? That is not the case with Binaca. It tastes really good. It had been like I never ate the White Castles. So what are you waiting for? Go get some Binaca today. Your sweetie will thank you.

Thank you to Binaca for letting me have the opportunity to try their wonderful products.
I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place. http://productreviewplace.ning.com/

Now for the Giveaway!

There will be FIVE (5) winners. Each winner will receive 4 assorted Binaca products.
Mandatory Entry: Go here and click on Fresh facts and tell me one of the Fresh Facts. They are all really funny and interesting.

You must do the mandatory comment in order for the additional entries to count.

As always please remember to put your email address in each of your comments or make it available in your blog profile.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY!

The additional entries will give you one extra for each one.

Subscribe to my blog
Follow my blog
Follow me on Twitter @sheilacakes7 and tweet about this giveaway with the link. Leave your twitter name in your comment. (You can earn 3 entries daily total for tweeting)
Tell me about a time when you would need Binaca. Be creative!

I will Email the 5 lucky winners and they will have 48 hours to contact me or I will have to redraw the winners that don’t respond.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

I wrote about what shows are my favorites so I thought I would do the same for Noah. Noah loves Sprout. He enjoys watching pretty much anything on Sprout. He loves the Good Night Show. I actually have on video with my cell phone of Noah saying I love the Good Night Show. I don’t have a video camera. He also enjoys watching Caillou. Caillou is a really cute show. We also watch Barney as most almost 3 year olds do. He likes to watch Thomas and Friends. Noah has a love for trains and loves Thomas stuff. He likes the sprout originals as well such as Fireman Sam (Fire Sam), Dive Olly Dive (Dive Dive), and The Mighty Jungle.

Noah also enjoys some of the shows on Noggin like Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, Dora and Diego and Yo Gabba Gabba. Thanks to the wonders of On Demand he can watch certain shows when he wants to see them. I wish they would put more shows on demand but I am happy with the ones we have.

He enjoys watching DVD’s as well. We love Baby Faith DVD’s. Baby Faith is a series of DVD’s like Baby Einstein except they are based on the Bible. They are hosted by Jodie Benson who was the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. They are so cute. My favorite is God made Music which is the story of David and Goliath. There is a rap in there that is so adorable. You should check them out. We also have some of the Baby Einstein DVD’s. Noah still enjoys watching them too.

A lot of the time Noah isn’t plopped down on the couch with a bag of candy doing nothing but watching TV. He runs around and plays and does other things. He will stop what he is doing to watch something if it catches his eye. For the most part he is a multi-tasking little boy.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Growing up I loved to drink flavored water. All of the brands of flavored water were expensive. So I was naturally thrilled when I had the Opportunity to try out the PUR Flavor options pitcher. What attracted me to it was the fact that is Earth friendly and doesn’t come in lots of plastic bottles. You can take the water bottles you have and refill them with better tasting water than you buy by bottle. Some thing else that I love is that it doesn’t flavor the whole pitcher, just when you want a little kick to your beverage you just push the button and enjoy. Not to mention it is Sugar and Calorie free! It’s not like when you make Kool-aid and your children fight over what flavor to have. You can totally take out the cartridge and switch them out. No more fights! There are certain times when you just want good cold water. For example when you first wake up in the morning. The flavor button lets you have that option. You control how much flavor you want as well. Some people just don’t like flavored water. They can also enjoy this pitcher too, even if they just offer the flavor option to guests.

I really enjoyed tasting the raspberry flavored water. It was really good. The flavor was crisp and refreshing. I offered some to my family and they really enjoyed it too. It will be a great way to get my son to drink more water. I also tried the water without the flavor and I could taste a difference. The assembly is really easy and the pitcher is very attractive. I love the slender shape of it. I have lots of stuff in my refrigerator so it fit nicely in the door. When it is time to change the filter there is a light that turns red. You don’t have to mess with a little cling that falls off and gets lost. I think it is a must have. Not only does it taste delicious but, it is great for the environment and it helps people around the world have the opportunity to have clean drinking water.

The pitcher costs $29.99. PUR Flavor Options also has a faucet mount that goes right on your kitchen faucet. The faucet mount costs $49.99. The flavor cartridges cost for $9.99 for a 2 pack that contains up to 75 glasses of flavor per cartridge. The flavors are Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon and Grape. Check out how much you will save with PUR by using the savings calculator.

PUR Flavor Options was named The Household Product of the Year in January 2009. PUR also does a lot of work for helping children and their families in developing countries have access to clean safe water in their communities. In collaboration with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Procter and Gamble developed a low cost water purification technology, a powdered product that effectively reduces parasites, bacteria and other containment found in water.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of PUR products are donated to help fund the CDSW Program. When consumers make the choice to buy PUR they are not only providing clean water for their families but for families all over the world.

Here are some important facts about the benefits of drinking water.
* Research shows that mild dehydration can lead to lethargy in infants and significant impairment of cognitive function, leading to confusion and irritability in children and adults. In children, dehydration may even cause diminished mental capabilities.
*It takes about two liters of water (a little more than 8 cups), along with your normal diet to replace the fluids lost though your breathing, perspiration, urine and bowel movements.
* Water can help prevent kidney and liver problems by helping to flush toxins that burden these vital organs.

Weight Management Fact- Substituting water for a regular soda (approximately 150 calories) every day, along with participating in moderate activity can promote healthy weight.

Water Filtration facts
* PUR is the first leading brand to claim removal of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water- more than 99% in the PUR faucet mounts and 96% in the PUR pitcher.
PUR filtration systems remove 99.9% of microbial cysts such as Giadia and Cyrptosporidum parvun, which can lead to intestinal illness.
* PUR filtration systems remove 98% of lead and 97% of chlorine (taste and odor)
In 2005, more than 60 million people were affected when their water systems failed to monitor contaminants including lead, correctly.
* The EPA reported approximately 10-20 percent of human exposure to lead is attributable to lead in tap water.

Did you know that making bottles to meet America’s demand for bottled water requires more that 1.5 million barrels of oil every year? That is enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. If you think that is scary check this out. Only 23% of plastic water bottles are recycled in the U.S. resulting in 38 billion plastic water bottles being discarded.

Thank you to PUR for the opportunity to try out The PUR Flavor Options Pitcher.
I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place. http://productreviewplace.ning.com/

I have one PUR FLAVOR OPTIONS PITCHER to giveaway.

Here are the rules.
Go to to the Pur Flavor Options website and take the What is your flavor quiz and tell me what flavor result you got. This is the mandatory entry.

You must do the mandatory entry for the bonus entries to count.

Bonus Entries each equals one entry.
Subscribe to my blog
Follow my blog
Follow me on Twitter @sheilacakes7 and tweet about this giveaway linking to this post. (This can be done daily for a total of three entries 3 daily tweets = 3 entries) Please put your twitter id in your comment.
Blog about the giveaway on your blog

Please remember to leave your email address either in your comment or have it accessible on your blog.

I will Email the winner and you will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will have to redraw the winner. You must live in the US in order to win.

Whew it is LATE and I am exhausted.
I just wanted to write a quick post to say before I hit the hay! That today is my best friend Rene's birthday!
So I just wanted to wish her a happy happy birthday. Rene, I hope your birthday is great. I know last years was horrible. So Enjoy your special day. I love ya girl. You mean so much to me and I am so glad that we are friends. Thanks for being you and being there for me when I need a hug. Through the laughter and Through the tears we will be friends for many years. I hope your birthday is full of happy thoughts.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

I thought I would talk about what TV shows we watch in my house. Just so you guys can get to know me better.

My Favorite TV show is definitely NCIS. I am a huge Mark Harmon fan. I think he is the most attractive man ever! I also like to watch Monk. I am bummed that it is the final season. I completely understand why Tony Shaloub is moving on. I am sure he is so type casted now and ready to branch out from the obsessive compulsive detective. Thanks to almost all TV shows on DVD you can watch all the episodes whenever you want. It’s not like the old days where once a show was over you had to wait and hope that the show is syndicated in reruns. I am a big crime show junkie. I love Law and Order of course it is not the same after Jerry Orbach left and ultimately passed away. Lenny is definitely my favorite character on Law and Order. I have noticed that TNT rarely shows any episodes with Lenny anymore. They keep showing the newer shows. None of the replacement characters hold a candle to Lenny. I guess I never really got in to the shows without him. I like Law and Order SVU the most out of the Law and Order series. I really like all the actors on the show and the character interaction is amazing. I also really like Cold Case. Cold Case is really interesting. I wish it was on TV more though. It is on a few times during the week and usually at like 2 am. I occasionally stay up and watch it but more often then not I try to be asleep by then.

I love TV court shows too. I am watching Judge Judy as I type this. It is just funny to watch. I have a lot of respect for Judge Judy even when I don’t agree with her ruling. I also like to watch The People’s Court. Judge Marilyn Milian is really caring and compassionate but she has a don’t mess with me attitude when she needs to. I spent two weeks in the hospital when I was pregnant with my son. I was waiting to have my scheduled C-Section due to complications. The nurses would always comment about me watching Court shows saying my baby was going to be a lawyer. Looking back it is funny because Noah loves Judge Judy. He watches it all the time. He even asks to watch it when she isn’t on.

I have been watching The Secret Life of The American Teenager. I have seen every episode and I love it. I know it gets mixed reviews especially from parents. I think that it is a great show. I think that if parents watch it with their children than it could be a conversation starter. I don’t think younger children should watch the show until they are old enough to understand it. It is rated TV-14 for a reason. I used to go to the Secret Life Forums on ABC Family and I was shocked at what I saw! There were teenage girls talking about how badly they want to get pregnant. Some would say how they are pregnant and how they planned it. It was all really sad. I know it is happening but I guess I am sad that it is. I know I am not a teenager anymore but I am not that old. That is a whole other post to write someday.

So I hope you enjoyed reading about some of the shows I like to watch. If you haven't seen some of them I highly recommend them all. Especially NCIS!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Feels Like Home and Adrienne’s House are hosting a wonderful event called Spotlight on PR.

You are now in a PR friendly zone! Fasten your seat belts and ENJOY the ride.
Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Sheila. I am a stay at home mom to a little boy named Noah. He will be three in September. You will find a good variety of things on my blog. It is just my little place to connect with others. I love to write about my son because he is the most adorable little boy. He is very smart and very sweet. I also write about my family and friends. I enjoy sharing my opinions about products with others. I have been known to email companies and tell them when I love their products. I am also not afraid to speak up when I have an issue with something either. As my grandmother always told me Honesty is the best policy. That is a philosophy that I use in everyday life as should everyone. There should be an open line of communication between the consumer and the company. I think that a good relationship between the company and the consumer is the most important asset.

I spend my time with my son, my family and friends. I love to cook; I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. I also love to eat. Traveling is another one of my favorite past times. I am an avid scrapbooker and card maker. One of the ways I like to unwind is by watching a good movie or one of my favorite TV shows.

I always consider myself as unique. I am unique because I have a big heart. I truly care about others. I try and help people any way I can. I am compassionate. I am 100%genuine and real. I am a hard worker and have a vast knowledge in a variety of topics. I love to do research and learn new things. I am a rare gem in today’s society. Sadly, now a days good people are hard to find.

I will hear any pitch with an open mind as long as it doesn’t go against my morals or is illegal. I look forward to hearing from you and forming a great relationship with you.

If you want to contact me please Email me at ilovebabynoah707@yahoo.com

4 years ago today
On August 12, 2005 my best friend went to Heaven. She was no doubt greeted by her husband Jim, Her sons Jimmy and Steve and many other family and friends that love her. My best friend that I lost was my Grandma Rose. I had a unique relationship with her. She was more than just an old lady who was my mom’s mother. She was my best friend. Ever since I can remember we were attached at the hip. My favorite thing to do when I was young was spend time with my grandma. She was an amazing woman who touched the lives of thousands no make that hundreds of thousands. She opened a soup kitchen and with that single act has fed 100,000’s of hungry mouths. She would hold garage sales for charity and she was a member of many clubs and organizations that helped so many people. She would take in her kids’ friends. She had amazing faith and was a strong Catholic woman. She always put God first in everything she did. My grandma would help anyone she could. She was truly an inspiration.

Growing up Grandma and I would play many games and sing songs. Some of my favorites are Sookie and witch in the well. I someday want to publish the story of Sookie and dedicate it to her. I remember how we would play London Bridges too. I caught myself the other day playing it with my son. I cherished every moment and memory with her. We would walk to the store and get treats. We would have to walk thru the deep valley to get there. It was always fun and we would hold hands the whole way there and back. We would sometimes have lunch at Mc Donald’s. Ok we almost always had lunch. We would go to the mall and walk around the whole mall a few times for exercise. We used to play a lot of cards as well. We played Euchre, Bone yard, Old maid, and 21. We also played Rummy.

My favorite thing to do with her was the I love you more game. Whenever one of us would say I love you the other would say I love you more. We would go back and forth until one of us would say we love each other equal.

I knew if I just showed up at her house she would have a cold drink in the fridge and a goody bag made up for me. The grand kids would spend New Years at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. It was family law. It was a big party. We would have a piñata made out of a brown paper sack filled with treats. We always made two banners. One saying good bye to the year that was ending and one welcoming the New Year. Grandma had a clock that you could move the hands on it and we would change it to midnight some years and then go outside and bang pots and pans. I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandma Rose. We had so much fun. She would make me lists of chores and I would pretend to be Amelia Bedelia and mess them up. It was one of my favorite games we would play. I loved to cook with her and help her do the dishes. I would stand on a chair right next to her. I usually would dry them because I didn’t want dish pan hands. She taught me how to iron and sew. I still sew like I did when I was oh say 9 years old. That is ok though.

Grandma would tell me all kinds of stories about when she was little or when my mom and aunt and uncles were little. I remember I would listen to her wide eyed and attentive. We used to read Good Old Days Magazine before bed. She and I would play a game to see who could go to sleep the fastest and the winner got a candy bar. She always let me win.

My Grandma Rose was a fighter. She might of weighed 112 pounds and stood at 5’2 but she wasn’t going anywhere without a fight. She had her first open heart surgery in 1979 when I was still in God’s pocket. People are supposed to get another one every 10 years. She went 16 before having another. There were a few times where the doctors would say to us this is really risky you should say good bye to her because there is a good chance she won’t make it. Every time she pulled through. She had a whole lot of living to do.

She ended up developing Alzheimer’s disease. It was heart breaking to see her go through it. She didn’t know who anyone was or where she was and in some cases who she was. I can’t imagine how scared she must have been everyday. She seemed to remember me the most often probably because I am the baby of the family.

The last time I saw her was when she was in the hospital. She was pretty out of it. When I had to leave knowing this was the last time I would see her on Earth probably. I said I love you Grandma. She responded I love you more. It was like for an instant she was her normal self. I really feel like God granted me that moment and I will never forget that. Of course I cried the whole way home. She went peacefully with my mom and aunt by her side.

I think about her all the time. Sometimes I come across her things and I smell her on them. It is like she is there with me. I know she is. I strive to be like her every day of my life. She was and always will be my role model and best friend.
I miss her so much. I wish she was here to play with Noah. I know she is smiling down on us and living through all that love her.

Rest In Peace Grandma Rose 1917-2005. I know I will see you again. I love you and miss you always.

Here is a picture of My Grandma Rose and My Grandpa Jim. It was from their 50th wedding anniversary in 1988. They were the happiest couple in the world. They were soulmates.
Wasn't she so beautiful?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I participate in a meme called Ten on Tuesday over on Yano what I mean
This weeks question is...
10 fads you just don't get.

1. Crocs I personally think they are weird looking
2. Most slang words like what it do
3. Clothing that looks like it belongs on a streetwalker
4. Teen Pregnancy or Teens that want to get pregnant
5. Grills
6. massive amounts of Bling
7. Trashy Reality Shows
8. guys with shaggy mop top haircuts
9. Heelies I hate those things!
10. Most new rap music

Sunday, August 9, 2009

I had the opportunity to review some bandages from ABC Gauze. I couldn’t anticipate a time when I would have to use these. So I will update you all on my personal thoughts after I use the product. I wanted to give you some background information about the product and the company.

ABC Gauze is an inventive new way to stop bleeding. The concept of course isn’t new but the material is. ABC stands for Advanced Bleeding Control. It looks really cool. If you ever have pulled off a bandage and painfully ripped off all your hair this product is for you. It comes off easily and painlessly with water. I remember when I was little people would tell me rip it off really fast and it won’t hurt. Of course that wasn’t true. It still hurt. It just hurt quicker.

I am sure you are wondering what is ABC Gauze? ABC Gauze is a new way to stop bleeding in diverse situations where bleeding occurs. It is all natural and is made of Collagen like substance created by regenerated cellouse, an effective hemostatic agent. It is registered with the FDA to help control bleeding from wounds in-body cavities. This is not your grandma’s piece of gauze! It converts to a gel as soon as it comes in contact with your blood and stops the bleeding FAST!

Now let’s talk the Science and Mechanics of ABC Gauze. How does it work? When it comes in contact with the blood, ABC Gauze instantly turns in to a safe clear gel that expands to create direct pressure. The direct pressure physically blocks off and seals the damaged blood vessels. When it turns in to gel it increases platelet aggregation and stabilizes clot formation. When you wash off the gauze it will not reopen the wound or restart the bleeding.

You don’t need a prescription to use ABC gauze. It is safe and all natural. It is sterile. ABC Gauze is lightweight. It would also be great to have some in the car for those times when you are out and your child falls down at the playground. ABC Gauze is something that every home should have. It is a quick and effective way to stop bleeding. It is wonderful for the elderly, those who are on blood thinners, children who play sports, and everyone else.

ABC Gauze was featured on The Today Show and is a MUST HAVE for all first aid kits!
For more information and how to purchase ABC Gauze please visit ABC Gauze.

Thank You to ABC Gauze for the chance to review your product. I will post a follow up when I have to use the product. Hopefully it will be something minor and no one gets seriously hurt.

I was given the opportunity to review this product because of my membership at The Product Review Place. http://productreviewplace.ning.com/

Saturday, August 8, 2009

I got an idea a while back. My great idea is on August 20, 2009 I would hold an event called Bubbles for Tommy. Tommy is my friend Rene's son who passed away on August 20, 2008 from Congenital Heart Defects. You can read about Tommy on a previous post.
Bubbles for Tommy is where we all who loved Tommy or anyone who just wants to help us remember Tommy by blowing bubbles on August 20, 2009. Tommy loved bubbles so much. I thought it would be awesome to fill the sky with bubbles for him to play with in Heaven. Since everyone is all over the US and the World that loved Tommy I thought because we can't possibly get together in one spot. We could symbolically be united together through the bubbles. The sky is huge so it will take a lot of bubbles to fill it.
If you want to participate please blow bubbles on August 20, 2009 at
7 pm Eastern time
6 pm Central Time
5 pm Mountain Time
4 pm Pacific Time
Help us celebrate Tommy's life. We miss and love Tommy so much. He was a strong fighter and an adorable charming little boy.

As all mothers do...Sometimes they have trouble understanding what their child is saying to them. There are times where I am thinking what on Earth are you saying hunny? I feel like I need to whip out my Noah to English dictionary and look up the words he is saying to figure it out. For awhile now Noah has been saying wanna watch (what sounds like)Priest. So I am replaying the shows that he has watched lately in my head. No priests. He will say what show he wants to watch on demand by the episode like Caillou Training wheels or Shoo Shoo. Then I thought maybe he was saying Police. I knew there was an episode of Caillou about a police officer. No that wasn't it. So he said wanna watch frosty priest. I still had no clue what he wanted to watch. I finally figured out he wanted to watch Ferocious Beast. Priest was Beast. There are other things he says that I have no idea what he is saying and still can't figure out. He is still learning to talk and although he has a vast vocabulary he just hasn't mastered pronunciation yet. Of course that will come in time. So I can't complain. It is just so confusing sometimes to see him try so hard to tell me something and I don't know what it is. I love how smart and how determined he is in everything he does.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

As long as I can remember I have loved to cook. I remember when I was a little girl I would help my mom and my grandma in the kitchen. I was always the little helper standing on the chair next to my grandma. I have been cooking as long as I can remember. When I was 7 or 8 I used to make bread by myself. Not from a mix...Not with a bread machine. Bread from scratch. I would do all the kneading and everything by myself. I would love to make bread. On snow days I would get up early and bake. Maybe I am a descendant of the Little Red Hen. Cooking and Baking have always been very therapeutic to me. I used to pretend that I had my own cooking show. I would talk to the "camera" while I was making things explaining how to do it. I would make chit chat with the audience as well. OK I know I am a dork. When I was little cooking shows weren't as prominent as they are now. There was no Food Network or anything. The only time cooking shows were on were like Sunday mornings on PBS. As I have mentioned before I was in 4-H. I got a blue ribbon in baking. I also won a blue ribbon in Girl scouts for baking. I love to be in the kitchen and make delicious things to eat. My mom's friends used to beg me to make them cookies all the time. Of course I always did.I still love to cook.

I am teaching my son about different foods and I have him in the kitchen with me some times when I cook. I plan on teaching him how to cook. He already shows interest in it. I think that when you cook with your children it creates a special bond and special memories. You can relive those memories whenever you make or eat that certain food. Every time I make or eat certain foods I am reminded of my Grandma. I remember being in her kitchen and creating the food with her. One cooking tradition my mom and I have is every year at Christmas time we make a bunch of cookies and candies. I will definitely carry on the tradition with Noah. Its not just the normal Christmas cookies. We have special recipes that we have been making for as long as I can remember. One thing I don't like about cooking is the clean up. I hate doing dishes. Even with a dishwasher you still have to wash somethings by hand. All in all cooking is one of my greatest passions. I encourage you to go and cook something with your children or grandchildren. The memories will live on forever even after the food is gone.

I have been so busy lately. I have been trying to get some things done with my family. I also went on a vacation for 4 days. I went to see my best friend Rene. We had a wonderful time. She is totally the best. I am so blessed to have her in my life. From the moment I arrived I felt just so happy to be with her. The drive down there was pretty fun. I saw the Jim Beam Distillery. I do now have a vast knowledge of Pokemon. Her son showed me and told me about probably 30 of those little creatures. Her children are so adorable. I went to work with her for like 7 hours. It was kinda fun. We spent a lot of time talking about everything while I was there. I learned a lot about different things. We watched lots of movies mainly Kevin Smith movies gotta love me some Silent Bob. Her husband looks a lot like Kevin Smith. Rob is really nice too. He is really funny and interesting. Her son turned 11 when I was there. We had a little party for him. Boy was he proud on his birthday. He would go around and tell people at Wal-mart...It's my birthday. Both of her kids have unique personalities. I went blackberry picking with her kids and now I have 33 bite marks on my legs. I don't know if it was from that or the attempt at geocaching but man do I itch. The saddest part of my trip was going to the cemetery to visit Tommy. I completely lost it. I cried so hard. Rene just hugged me while I bawled. It just made it so real. I also saw Jim Beams grave. You could see it from Tommy's grave. I never knew that Jim Beam was a real person. I wonder if there really is a Captain Morgan. lol. Probably not. It's fun to think about though.

We also went to a place called The Village. It was pretty cool because they were the original buildings that were just moved. We walked around and looked at things. There used to be a Tee-pee. I made the joke that maybe they took it down because people were doing "bad things" in it. Then we saw a pair of Khaki pants on the ground over by where it used to be. That was really funny. On my last night there we went to a place called Buffalo Wings and Rings. We decided that we wanted to have a little girl time together. Rob and her son sat inside and Rene and I sat outside by the bar. We had a drink called Sex on a buffalo. Oh man it was so good. We both tried to google the recipe and we couldn't find anything. It was like a sex on the beach made with Malibu Rum. It wasn't the same as Sex on the beach it was so much better. We kinda think that it was something the bartender made up for us. I learned some new things about Tommy while we were there. We swapped stories about all kinds of things, It was a lot of fun. When we left we went to Kroger and got some brownie mix and made brownies and pigged out. It was a great trip. I was sad to leave but I missed my little boy. I know Noah missed me. He was so excited to see me and I was excited to see him.

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About Me

I am a stay at home mom to an adorable 6 year old boy. I live in the Tampa/St.Petersburg Florida area. I love to spend my time playing with my son, watching movies, scrapbooking, cooking, traveling, writing and hanging out with family and friends.